: : : Hello, : : : We do have a serious problem. A copper tube (about : : : 3mm inner diamter, about 40 m long) is cloged by deposits. : : : What chemical could we use to get it open again. : : : Replacement of the tube is not an option, it is a square : : : diameter tube that is hard to get. : : : This is a serious problem because the cloging renders : : : a very expensive instrument unusable: : : Thanks is advance, Gert: : without flow through the line chemical cleaners : : would take forever. : : can you get to the ends of tubing and use something : : like piano wire to physically clean out enough : : to allow chemical cleaner to flow through. what cleaner : : would depend on composition of blockage.: There was a water/glycol mix running through the pipe for : about 8 years. There are actually about seven lines, each : about 40 meters long. Some have some flow through. The deposit : is probably copper oxide as well as mineral deposit. We now use : some organic acit (ph about 5), but that does not seem to be strong : enough. What about hydrochloric acid? : The wall thickness is about 1 mm. : Replacment of the tubes is right now ot an option. They : are an integral partof an magnet that is used in : a (very expensive) free electron laser. A replacement would : take about 6 month (including 3 month to get this : strange square copper tubing).: Thanks, Gertbefore you use acid on the pipes you may want to wait untill you get in a what have I got to lose sitituation. have you checked with antifreeze makers.
